GARY L. SONNTAG SPEED CONTEST

Eligibility: Any writer of shorthand (pen or machine) who is a member in good standing of NCRA and ILCRA is eligible.

Tests: Five-minute tests will be dictated as follows:

Number of transcriptions permitted: One of each take.

Financial Incentives Barred: Contestants must give to the ILCRA Board satisfactory assurance that they have not received, directly or indirectly, any remuneration or promise of remuneration of whatever character for entering or winning any part of this contest.

Entry fee: $60.

Pre-registration: All contestants must submit their contest registration forms at least 30 days prior to the contest to ensure availability of adequate transcription facilities and familiarity with contest rules.

Awards: The contestants who qualify on the three above tests with the highest average for the three shall be awarded first-, second-, and third-place medallions memorializing Gary L. Sonntag, as well as a certificate. Appropriate certificates will be awarded to any contestant who qualifies in any of the three speeds. Ninety-five percent (95%) accuracy is required to qualify in any of the three speeds.

The contestant who qualifies in the three above tests with the highest average of those contestants who reside in Illinois will be awarded the Sally J. Cochran Traveling Cup. In addition, no transcript will be rated that has more than five percent errors.

Transcribing: A printer will be provided for contestants to use in transcribing. Otherwise, equipment for transcription is the responsibility of the individual contestant. Contestants are responsible for producing their own transcripts without assistance from another person. Those who type must type their own transcripts; those who use computer-aided transcription must perform their own translating, editing, printing and proofreading functions.

In every sense, the contest transcripts must be the work product of the individual contestant. Any activities that call into question the integrity of a transcript may be reason for permanent disbarment from the Speed Contest.

Decisions: All decisions of the Speed Contest Committee and the ILCRA Board made under these rules, or such supplementary rules as may be found necessary at the time of the Contest, shall be final.

Continuing Education Credits: .4 CEUs are allowed by NCRA for each section of the speed contest in which the contestant qualifies. Qualification is based on transcription at 95% accuracy.

Back to Top

Realtime Contest

TESTING CRITERIA: Five minutes of literary material dictated at 180 words per minute.

ELIGIBILITY: Any writer of shorthand who is a member of ILCRA in good standing and who has attained at least RPR, CRR, CBC, or CCP status.

FINANCIAL INCENTIVES BARRED: Contestants must give to the committee satisfactory assurance that they have not received, directly or indirectly, any remuneration or promise of remuneration of whatever character for entering or winning any part of this contest.

ENTRY FEE: Please register on the annual conference registration form. The fee is $60. Contestants must submit their contest registration forms and fee at least 30 days prior to the contest to ensure availability of adequate transcription facilities and familiarity with contest rules.

SEATING ARRANGEMENT: Seating shall be at the discretion of the contest chair of the Realtime Contest.

QUALIFYING: Only one transcription will be permitted. A score of 96 percent or higher qualifies. In order to qualify, a contestant must write realtime into a computer and, without editing, at the direction of a contest monitor, create an ASCII/text file on a diskette, CD, jump drive, or other peripheral data-saving medium. Those unable to produce such a file on such a medium within five minutes of such request may be disqualified at the discretion of the contest chair. After verification of ASCII file, contestant will be required to delete all components of the file, including audio, from the hard drive and recycle bin. Realtime may be in either ALL CAPS or mixed case. No transcript will be eligible for consideration with less than 96 percent accuracy.

AWARDS: Winners and qualifiers will be announced during the Annual Conference on Saturday or such time as shall be announced.

Medals will be awarded for first, second and third places, and an appropriate certificate awarded to those who attain a qualifying score of 96 percent or higher. The contest committee will publish/announce only names of qualifying contestants.

The contestant who qualifies with the highest percentage of those contestants who reside in Illinois will be awarded the Realtime Traveling Trophy.

CEUs: Per NCRA, qualifiers are eligible to receive .4 CEUs in any one three-year CEU cycle.

ALL COMMITTEE DECISIONS FINAL: The decisions of the committee made under these rules, or such supplementary rules as may be found necessary at the time of the contest, shall be final.

CONTEST MEDIA: All submitted memory devices, paper notes, and printed transcripts become the property of ILCRA and will be available for participant review at the discretion of the contest chairperson.

GRADING: Contestants will not be permitted to be present during the grading process. Transcripts will be marked for identification and corrected in such a manner that it will be impossible to know whose work is being examined until after the grading has been completed. A check-off list shall be maintained indicating the submission or non-submission of a memory device from each contestant. In addition, no transcript will be rated that has more than 4 percent errors.

ERRORS: Errors shall be determined according to the current rules and guidelines of NCRA "What is an Error?" grading guidelines for the CRR/CBC/CCP Skills Test. 

Back to Top